Friday, October 31, 2014

The last few months have been really rough here. A close family member lost her fierce battle with cancer and we're all reeling with the emotions (obviously). My go-to response to fear and sadness and tragedy is cooking/baking and I've stocked up everyone's freezers & fridges with enough soup, lasagnas, meatballs, chili, muffins, and cookies to last them through the next few weeks.

My creativity has been pretty much shot since we heard the news back in January, but I want to give myself a boost, so I've signed my foolish self up for NaNo again. I really don't need another first draft kicking around - I have 3 stories ready for those final revising rounds as well as 3 more first drafts with lots of potential and lots of needs. But, my heart is sore and weary and I'm hoping this might help me rebound.

As usual, I have no plan, no plot, no outline. Heck, I don't even have character names yet. But I think this one will involve some hi-jinks in the snow. Or not. I guess I'll find out soon! One thing I do know is there will be a HEA (happy every after) because that's exactly what I need right now.

So, if you're on the NaNo trail, join me (I'm jemifraser over there) and let's pound out some words together!

Monday, October 27, 2014

First, thank you, Jemi, for having me here today! I’m going to share a bit about my recent life

challenges, in the hope some of you may find what I’ve learned in the process
helpful to your own writing life.

Everyone handles life’s challenges differently. I know people who find solace in their
writing. When life is otherwise full of
problems, they retreat into their imaginary world of story to replenish and
heal.

Unfortunately, I’ve found myself to be the opposite of that,
which has proven to be a not-good thing!
About five years ago, before I was published, my parents had one health
crisis after another before my father passed away. I was responsible for taking care of
everything—getting them in and out of the hospital and rehab, doing their
grocery shopping, and you-name-it. It
was challenging, especially since I had
all three of my children still at home then.
My writing was the first thing I threw aside, because it seemed the most
expendable. And what that really shows,
I now realize, is that my own needs and wants are always the first to go, which
isn’t the best way to keep myself healthy and able to care for everyone.

This year, my mother’s health has dramatically declined, and
again, it’s been up to me to manage all that entails - doctors, hospitals,
caregivers, bills, hospice. I have only
one child home now, but even college kids need
help moving into new apartments, and obviously being with them is
something I love to do. I feel guilt
when I don’t spend time with my dying mother, and guilt when I don’t spend
enough time with my children or my husband.
And now that I’m a published author, I feel guilt that I’m falling short
there, too.

Believe me, there’s more guilt than you can imagine that my
current manuscript is quite late!

I’ve been beating myself up about all of this, because I think
that’s what women do. We try to be
everything to everyone, and eventually it takes its toll. So I’ve finally learned a few things about
handling crises while still somehow keeping our muse alive:

1.Ask for
support and accountability from writer friends. Agree on some kind of daily word count you
will be accountable for. Even if it’s
something very small, it will keep you in the story, give you a positive
feeling that you’re still making progress on your wip, and you’ll have the
emotional support of your friend/s as well.

2.Find a place in your wip where you can use
some of the emotions you’re feeling. If you’re going through a divorce, think about
how that pain can apply to a character’s past or present. If you’re losing or have lost a loved one, is
there a character who has had to deal with that in their past? Mine those emotions. You may find it enriches your manuscript at
the same time it’s an outlet for the feelings you may otherwise be keeping
bottled up.

3.Don’t compare yourself to others. I have a tendency to say to myself, “But
Author X writes 5,000 words a day! Why
can’t I do better, get more done, since I’m so behind?” The answer is, because I’m not Author X. There are some days I can crank out that kind
of word-count. But on a consistent
basis, I just can’t. And that’s
okay. I have to find what works for me,
especially when I have so many other demands on my time. But do sit down and write, even if it’s only
for half an hour. You’ll be happier
knowing you haven’t thrown your writing completely aside, which never feels
good.

4.Ask for help. I don’t know about you, but I think that,
when times get tough, we tend to put our heads down, grit our teeth, and GO,
taking everything upon our own shoulders.
A couple months ago, I felt like I was drowning in all I had to do while
feeling emotionally drained as well.
Something happened that showed my husband how really on the edge I was, and
he said in surprise, “Are you feeling stressed?” At first I stared in disbelief, then felt
angry. How could he not know I was
beyond stressed? Then I realized it was
my fault. It was because I was doing
that head-down and go thing, not sharing how I was feeling, and not asking for
help. That was eye-opening to me, and I
began to open up more and ask for help from him and from my kids.

5.If you’re published, be honest with your
agent and/or editor. While I was
trying to convince myself I really could finish the book in time, I was
reluctant to be honest with my agent and editor about what was going on with
me. When I finally did, it was a
tremendous relief. Both were sweet,
understanding and helpful. Knowing they
were supporting me instead of frowning, and learning it wasn’t a problem for me
to have a little more time, went such a long way to my feeling better. Consequently, I was able to relax enough to
get the juices flowing and make my muse smile again.

6.Be kind to yourself. Give yourself credit for doing the best you
can, even if it feels like you’re falling short. Take that long walk, or hot bath, or get that
haircut you’ve been needing but felt you didn’t have time for. Know that others understand. And if that book takes longer to write than
you wanted it to? The sun will still
come up in the morning, and soon, the days will look brighter. They will.

After completing a
degree in journalism, working in the advertising industry, then becoming a
stay-at-home mom, Robin Gianna had what she likes to call her ‘awakening’.
While on vacation, lying in the sun with a beach read, she realized she wanted
to write the romance novels she'd loved since her teens.

Robin loves pushing
her characters toward their own happily-ever-afters! When she's not writing,
Robin's life is filled with a happily messy kitchen, a needy garden, a
wonderful husband, three great kids, a drooling bulldog and one grouchy Siamese
cat.

For intern Dr. Katy Pappas, seeing delectable surgeon Alec Armstrong again is
sweet torture! He might have rejected her after their sinfully delicious kiss
years before, but he still sets her pulse racing!
Alec is captivated by gorgeous, grown-up Katy. But as his best friend's sister,
a colleague and his student, Katy is definitely off-limits! He's made the
mistake of mixing business with pleasure before, and he won't risk Katy's
career. Yet can he resist the oh-so-wrong when it feels oh-so-right…?

Wow. Timely post for me. We lost someone very special in our lives just last week and the stress for the last several months has been beyond believable (still is). You've expressed it so well here. I also tend to do that head-down thing. Time to lift up my chin! Thanks!!

Monday, October 20, 2014

(If you're looking for a post about the fabulous Lenny Lee, scroll down to the one below this one (or click here) ... after you've visited with Amy that is!!)

Please welcome Amy Ruttan to the blog today!

***

Why an agent was
right for me.

First
off I want to thank Jemi Fraser for
having me here today!

One
of the most frequent questions I’ve been getting lately is why I decided to
sign with an agent.

Before Harlequin, I published via eBook publishers. There
was no need for an agent and then when I sold to Harlequin, I did that on my
own without an agent.

In
May 2014 I decided to pursue an agent. One I admired and had been following for
some time. He knows Harlequin, he’s professional and I admire several of the
authors he represents.

So
again, why did I query him? I don’t technically need an agent for Harlequin. I
had signed two contracts with Harlequin without an agent, but when I made the
decision in May to query my agent it’s because I wanted my career path to go
further.

I
love Harlequin and I love writing for Medicals, but I have a specific career
path in my head that I want to take. I still plan on writing for Medicals as
long as they’ll have me, but I wanted more and the path I wanted to take …well
I wanted an agent to help me down that path.

Signing
with my agent was not a spur of the moment thing. I researched for a long time
to see who might be the right fit. I say right fit because honestly you don’t
know until you talk to them over the phone or meet them face-to-face.

I
queried him and he requested partials from me, which he read and then we talked
on the phone. He wanted to make sure that this is what I wanted from my writing
career and he wanted to make sure we were on the same page. We were!

Publishing
is a constantly moving and changing beast. I wanted someone to advocate for me,
someone to help navigate me on the right path for my career and the brand I’ve
been building for myself and I wanted an agent who loved my work.

I
think an agent who believes in your work and really gets your voice will
advocate the best for you.

And
that’s basically why I signed with my agent. It really depends on you. Think
about why you want to sign with an agent, because an agent can’t guarantee you
sales, but they do open doors to some house who only take agented submissions.

Make
sure you don’t sign with just any agent. Make sure you and your potential agent
work well together and that the agent is reputable meaning that they’re a part
of the AAR’s or follow their code of ethics (they don’t charge you for reading
fees).

And
an agent who is right for author A may not be right for author B. Make the
decision and do the research yourself. Don’t let anyone else decide for you.

It
all depends on the choices you want to make in your writing career, because
each writer has a different road to walk. Not all paths are the same.

***

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Amy fled the big city to settle
down with the country boy of her dreams. When she's not furiously typing away
at her computer, she's a mom to three children.

Life got in the way, and after the birth of her second child, she
decided to pursue her dream of becoming a romance author.

Single mom and paramedic Samantha Doxtator has been living with a broken heart
after losing her husband years ago. Now she's finally back on track and
following her dream to become an air ambulance pilot…after training one last
student—George Atavik!

Since nearly losing his life in a plane crash, George will not waste the second
chance he's been given, and he won't deny the sparks flying between him and his
new mentor. Does Samantha dare risk her own carefully guarded heart for another
opportunity at happiness?

If you haven't met Lenny Lee yet, you're missing out. Lenny is 15 today and he is an amazing young man.Despite some medical difficulties in his life, Lenny sparkles with wit and humor.Lenny has been able to blog as much lately, but I think his birthday is a fabulous way for us to let him know we're thinking about him!So join me in sending best wishes to Lenny!

Monday, October 6, 2014

How many times have I said I’m giving up
this writing gig? Too many to count. Sales slump? I’m done. Ideas seem silly?
It’s over. The words won’t come? Clearly I’ve lost the knack.

Well… I’m still here ain’t I?

The truth is, if you have the need to tell
a story, you really can’t give up. The tales bubbling in your head won’t let
you. The drive to create won’t let you. But here’s the kicker…

There’s more to it.

Do you know “that guy” or “that girl”? The
one who always has everyone around them riveted at parties, as they tell story
after story about what they’ve done or heard? They’re storytellers of a type—a
kind with a long and glorious history. They’re the troubadours of our time, and
long after they’re gone people will say, “Do you remember that story so-and-so
used to tell?” But no one will ever be able to tell that story the way they
did. No one. And those stories you want to write down? No one will ever be able
to tell them the way you can.

Yet, maybe you’re afraid to try. Maybe it’s
not something you’ve ever done before and you think, “I may suck at it.”

Well, you might, but can I point something
out to you? When you were a baby and tried to walk, I almost guarantee you
sucked at it. You fell over, sat on your butt—probably hard—had to grab stuff
to stop from tumbling over. Someone held your hands to help you up and give you
some balance, but you fell over again once they let you go. Then one day, after
stumbling, falling, crying and maybe even bleeding, you started walking on your
own. Then you got stronger and, to your parents’ mingled pride and chagrin,
started running. You never looked back after that. The same goes for everything
we’ve had to learn—how to speak, do mathematics, draw—every- and anything.

So, don’t be afraid. The want is the thing.
If you want to write, get started. Maybe you have a natural talent and the book
will be awesome, you never know! But if you’re like the
rest of us, it’ll need something more—a little help. When I started, people
loved the stories themselves, but there were craft problems. I got critiques
and took some writing courses and kept at it. I started getting “good’
rejections, those where the editors told me exactly why they wouldn’t acquire
the stories, and that told me the areas I still needed to work on. Eventually I
got that first “Yes” and I was walking! Twenty-plus yeses later, I still
consider myself learning and hopefully growing…

And that leads to my last piece of advice…

Don’t stop. Don’t get stuck. Keep your mind
open to the possibilities of growth and change. Keep moving forward instead of
staying in one safe or known place. Keep going…and suddenly you’ll find
yourself running the writing marathon, and winning.

Multi-published
author Anya Richards lives with her husband, youngest kid, a mutt, and two cats
that plot world domination one food bowl at a time.The humans support her writing while the animals see her preoccupation
as a goad.

Insatiably curious and irreverent, Anya
loves history, music, the sea and a good rum punch. To learn more drop by
Anya’s websitemake friends with her on Facebook or follow her onTwitter.

His seductive rhythm calls to
the passionate soul hiding within…

Jane Rollins is anything but plain, but to
keep her position as housekeeper to a wealthy family, she is content to hide
her beauty behind a dull façade. This deception has become second-nature to
her—until dance master Sergio Fontini waltzes into her life.

While the other inhabitants of the house see him as a foreigner and beneath
their notice, Jane sees strength, barely leashed power, and an aura of iron
control—an irresistible, arousing combination.

Sergio sees through Jane’s disguise to the woman beneath, and the desires in
her veiled gaze call to him like the utterly irresistible strains of a
beautiful symphony. The circumstances couldn’t be worse, for seducing her will
endanger both their livelihoods.

Yet there are lessons he cannot resist teaching her, steps of a dance that
crescendos to her final surrender…

Product Warnings

A deliciously seductive Italian unmasks a supposedly respectable Victorian
woman and leads her into a lust-filled pas de deux.